Miss Indonesia leads poll, while Latinas take second and third

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Miss Universe beauties from Latin America and Asia emerged as the crowd favorites just one day before the cutthroat on-screen competition begins, topping an online poll that got tens of thousands of hits from eager fans.

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Nine of the remaining contestants who ranked in the top 15 in the poll hail from Spanish-speaking countries, and three others are of Asian origin. Miss Czech Republic and Miss Philippines also landed on the list.

Miss USA Kristen Dalton fell in the middle of the poll's list.

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Over 50,000 submissions were recorded in the first few days the polls opened on the pageant's Web site -- so officials had to shut the poll down to prevent too-heavy traffic, the AP reported.

The three ladies are the fan favorites to make the pack of 15 finalists, who will be announced on-air Sunday as the pageant is broadcast live on NBC.

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The pageant, owned by Donald Trump and hosted in the Bahamas, is being held at the luxurious Atlantis hotel on the tropical island.

Flo Rida, Heidi Montag, Kelly Rowland and David Guetta are set to perform at the star-studded event.